Amazon's first Rivian-made electric delivery vans are now being tested in Los Angeles.
That testing will expand to up to 15 other cities later this year, Amazon said Wednesday.
Rivian's research and design teams made these pre-production test vehicles at its offices in Plymouth, Michigan. Production models will be built at Rivian's Normal plant.
Amazon announced in September 2019 plans to buy 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian as part of a larger effort to reduce its carbon footprint.
Production on those vans will begin later this year, and the plan is 10,000 by the end of 2022, a Rivian spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIt-QcxhZDc
Showroom in Chicago?
Meawhile, Crain's Chicago Business reported Wednesday that Rivian plans to open a showroom near downtown Chicago.
The showroom would be in the Fulton Market neighborhood, near the West Loop, Crain's reported. It would be among Rivian's first retail locations in the U.S.
Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said in 2018 that it planned to open a factory store in Normal. Rivian plans to expand to 100 retail locations within seven years, Scaringe said.
Rivian plans to make its electric trucks, SUVs and vans in Normal.
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